Comaco

What Comaco does

COMACO (Community Markets for Conservation), founded in 2003 by Dr. Dale Lewis and headquartered in Lusaka, Zambia, is a non-profit social enterprise that operates a market-based model linking small-scale farmer livelihoods to wildlife conservation outcomes. The company purchases surplus crops at premium prices—reportedly four times prior local trader rates—from more than 335,230 farming families organized across 112 cooperatives in 84 chiefdoms in Zambia's Eastern, Central, and Muchinga Provinces. In exchange for these premium prices, farmers commit to conservation practices rooted in a proprietary Gliricidia sepium agroforestry system combined with zero-tillage, crop residue retention, and legume rotation.

The company's core technology stack is agronomic rather than digital: nitrogen-fixing Gliricidia trees supply soil fertility and fuelwood, fuel-efficient metal cookstoves (80,000+ deployed) reduce deforestation pressure, and Chiliblasting technology using converted poaching firearms provides humane elephant deterrence. On the processing side, COMACO operates manufacturing facilities—most prominently a factory in Lundazi producing Zambia's largest peanut butter output at 150 tons per month—turning aggregated crops into 19-20 chemical-free food products under the It's Wild! brand, distributed through Zambian supermarkets, Green Market Shops in low-income neighborhoods, direct factory sales, and exports to South Africa and Botswana.

Revenue is generated across four streams: It's Wild! product retail and export sales, crop aggregation/transaction fees, REDD+ carbon credit sales (a World Bank-partnered project that disbursed $490,000 in its first monitoring period and is expected to generate over $2M annually), and commissions from cooperative-run community businesses. The company is supported by an institutional donor base including NORAD (15+ years), World Bank, USAID, GIZ, and IFAW, with Elephant Cooperation serving as a US-based 501(c)(3) conduit for tax-deductible donations. COMACO's reported impact includes 2,212 transformed poachers, 954,455 hectares under community protection, and over 4 million tons of CO2 emission reductions. The company is not structured to generate profit for shareholders and has no disclosed equity capitalization.

Name

Comaco

Legal name

Community Markets for Conservation

Website

https://itswild.org/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

COMACO is a Zambia-based non-profit social enterprise founded in 2003 that purchases surplus crops at premium prices from over 335,000 small-scale farmers across 84 chiefdoms and processes them into chemical-free It's Wild! branded foods, using market incentives to drive wildlife conservation, agroforestry adoption, and REDD+ carbon credit generation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lusaka

HQ country

Zambia

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Product Sales - It's Wild! Brand: COMACO purchases surplus crops from farmers at premium prices, manufactures them into chemical-free food products under the It's Wild! brand, and sells to retail stores across Zambia and for export. Revenue supports conservation programs and farmer incentives.
2. Crop Aggregation and Processing Services: The company aggregates crops from 335,000+ farmers across cooperatives, processes them at manufacturing facilities, and sells finished products. This creates operational revenue while providing market access to farmers.
3. Carbon Credit Sales: REDD+ carbon project generates carbon credits from avoided deforestation and forest conservation. First monitoring period recorded 228,000 tonnes CO2 reduction paying out $490,000 to chiefdoms. Over 4 million tons total CO2 reduced emissions achieved.
4. Community Business Services: Cooperatives run hammer mills, transportation businesses, poultry farms, tuck shops, and provide crop buying services on behalf of COMACO, generating commissions and self-sustaining revenue streams.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Comaco purchases surplus crops from over 335,000 small-scale Zambian farmers at premium prices, processes them at manufacturing facilities, and sells chemical-free food products under the It's Wild! brand through supermarkets, Green Market Shops, factory-direct sales, and exports to South Africa and Botswana. The organization also monetizes REDD+ carbon credits from avoided deforestation across 38 Community Conservation Areas and runs cooperative business services that include hammer mills, transportation, and retail operations.

Product overview

COMACO is a social enterprise that operates a platform combining conservation incentives with agricultural market access. The core offering centers on the It's Wild! branded food product portfolio, which currently includes 19-20 products manufactured from surplus crops purchased at premium prices from over 335,000 small-scale farmers across Zambia. The It's Wild! brand encompasses local products sold in Zambian supermarkets and export products shipped to South Africa, Botswana, and the USA. Key products include Chama Rice (the original 2003 launch), peanut butter (150 tons/month making COMACO Zambia's largest producer), maize and soya porridge mix, and emerging products like chili sauce and dried tomatoes. Products are also available through Green Market Shops targeting low-income urban consumers at reduced prices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• It's Wild!: A brand of chemical-free, nutritious food products manufactured from surplus crops purchased from small-scale farmers. Includes peanut butter, rice, groundnuts, maize, soybeans, cowpeas, and honey. 19 products currently on the market.

Products and services

• It's Wild! Brand Food Products A portfolio of 19-20 chemical-free, sustainably sourced Zambian food products including peanut butter, rice, groundnuts, maize, soybeans, cowpeas, honey, and emerging products. Sold through Zambian supermarkets, Green Market Shops, factory-direct sales, and exported to South Africa, Botswana, and the USA.
• It's Wild! Peanut Butter Chemical-free peanut butter manufactured from groundnuts sourced from small-scale Zambian farmers using sustainable methods. Produced at 150 tons per month at the Lundazi processing factory, making Comaco the largest peanut butter producer in Zambia.
• It's Wild! Local Products Food products sold domestically in Zambia under the It's Wild! brand, sourced from small-scale farmers using sustainable, chemical-free methods. Distributed through supermarkets and Green Market Shops.
• It's Wild! Exports It's Wild! branded food products exported to international markets including South Africa, Botswana, and the USA.
• Chama Rice The original It's Wild! branded rice product launched in 2003, grown by farmers living with elephants in the Luangwa Valley. Marked the beginning of Comaco's market-based conservation model.
• Maize and Soya Porridge Mix Nutritional porridge mix produced for school feeding programs, with a 300-ton order for Mary's Meals at 150 tons per month from the Lundazi processing facility.
• Chili Sauce A new It's Wild! chili sauce product in development, with four variations tested for customer feedback at the Agricultural and Commercial Society of Zambia Show.
• Dried Tomatoes A new It's Wild! dried tomato product in development, with three variations tested for customer feedback at the Agricultural and Commercial Society of Zambia Show.
• Groundnut Briquettes Pressed groundnut shells converted into renewable charcoal briquettes, used for roasting peanuts and sold as a renewable fuel source.
• Premium Crop Aggregation and Processing Services Crop aggregation and processing services purchasing surplus from 335,230+ farmers across 112 cooperatives at premium prices (approximately 4x local trader rates) and processing them into It's Wild! branded food products at manufacturing facilities in Lusaka and Lundazi.
• REDD+ Carbon Credits Carbon credits generated from avoided deforestation and forest conservation across 38 Community Conservation Areas covering 954,455 hectares. The first monitoring period recorded 228,000 tonnes of CO2 emission reductions with $490,000 paid to chiefdoms. Over 4 million tons total CO2 emissions reduced to date.
• Green Market Shops Distribution Model A distribution model launched in 2020 that links farmers directly to low-income urban consumers through tiny neighborhood shops with modified packaging and mobile apps for quality control, reducing product prices by up to 20%.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 335,230 farming families adopted sustainable practices
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership on Enhancing Climate Resilience and Cross Border Collaborations in Kasungu/Lukusuzi Trans-frontier Conservation Area project. Targets 3,500 mostly female farmers (1,000 in Malawi, 2,500 in Zambia) across 32,278 km² landscape. Funded by GIZ.
• AENORminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate change consultants invited to assess and verify carbon project results, evaluating actions and effects of REDD+ project implementation.
• Mary's MealscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational NGO purchasing 300-ton order (150 tons/month) of maize and soya porridge mix from COMACO for school feeding programs across Zambia.
• Zambia Bureau of StandardsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered to allow packaging innovations that reduce product costs and enable affordable pricing for low-income consumers through Green Market Shops.
• Partners in Food SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical partner helping develop new nutrient-rich products for COMACO's product line.
• CQuestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with COMACO to introduce fuel-efficient cookstoves with three metal parts built from locally molded bricks for sustainable fuelwood production.
• ICRAFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientists from ICRAF working with COMACO to research and understand benefits of Gliricidia trees and agroforestry systems for soil improvement.
• IITA (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientists collaborating to unravel full extent of benefits from crop rotation and agroforestry practices for transforming rural landscapes.
• Lifeline EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided 20,000 Lifeline radios for Farm Talk program enabling rural farmer groups to listen and learn conservation and farming techniques.
• Radio PhoenixminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRadio station partner broadcasting Farm Talk program three times weekly in local languages across Luangwa Valley.
• ZAWA (Zambian Wildlife Authority)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Chiliblasting program using ex-poachers to protect crops from elephants using humane deterrent techniques.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• South Pole Group: Global carbon credit developer and trader with significant REDD+ and nature-based solutions portfolio. Comparable to COMACO's REDD+ carbon credit business, although South Pole operates as a commercial for-profit entity across multiple geographies.
• Root Capital: Impact lender and capacity builder for agricultural cooperatives and smallholder enterprises in Africa and Latin America. Closely comparable in mission (linking small-scale farmers to markets), cooperative engagement model, and focus on conservation-friendly value chains.
• Babban Gona: Nigerian agricultural social enterprise that aggregates smallholder farmer output into commercial supply chains, providing training, inputs, and offtake. Similar franchise/cooperative model connecting smallholders to premium buyers at scale.
• One Acre Fund: Non-profit social enterprise serving smallholder farmers across East Africa with inputs, training, and market access. Highly comparable to COMACO in farmer-services model, though geographically focused on Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Malawi rather than Zambia.

Broad incumbents

• Heifer International: Large US-based NGO working with smallholder farmers globally on sustainable agriculture and livelihoods. Comparable integrated livelihoods-plus-conservation approach, with broader geographic scope but less focus on industrial food manufacturing.
• African Wildlife Foundation: Pan-African conservation NGO protecting wildlife and habitats across the continent. Comparable to COMACO's wildlife conservation mission and community-based conservation model, though AWF is a broader advocacy organization rather than a market-based enterprise.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: Major international conservation NGO operating wildlife programs across Africa and globally. Comparable to COMACO's wildlife protection and landscape conservation objectives, with deeper global resources but a less integrated market-access farmer model.

Emerging players

• BURN Manufacturing: East African cookstove manufacturer producing fuel-efficient biomass stoves for low-income households. Directly comparable to COMACO's 80,000+ cookstove initiative reducing firewood demand from 30+ days to 1-2 days per family annually.
• Pachama: Technology-enabled marketplace for nature-based carbon credits including forestry/REDD+ projects. Comparable to COMACO's voluntary carbon credit product, with overlap in nature-based credit sourcing and buyer ecosystem.
• Twiga Foods: Kenyan B2B food distribution platform sourcing from smallholder farmers and supplying urban retailers. Comparable in farmer aggregation and food distribution mechanics, though Twiga is for-profit and technology-platform-led.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/dale-lewis-phd
• Instagraminstagram.com/itswild_org
• Xx.com/COMACO_Zambia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Comaco